The Hungry Earth
by Chi August
Summary: As a kid, Bella Czajkowski had been told stars were the souls of people who'd died. After a person passed away, regardless of the circumstances, their soul would go into the sky and become a star. As a kid, Bella thought it happened to everyone. Now, as an adult, she knows better. But that doesn't mean she can't love watching the stars. It keeps her sane in such a crazy world.


_"What matters is this, Doctor. Don't travel alone."_

-River Song; **from Doctor Who** (2012)

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"A soul is the very essence of all living beings." Bella's voice was soft, barely audible to the young woman herself. "It determines how humans will become, how an animal will live. And once a living being reaches the end of their life, their soul will expel from the body and become a star." The young Romani woman swallowed thickly, her eyes closing slightly. "Their souls become one with the heavens, lighting the sky to show their families they're still there." Opening her eyes, Bella looked up at the sky and frowned. Her bright green eyes studied the millions upon _billions_ of tiny, glowing dots that littered the nighttime sky. Some of the stars were brighter than others, some seemed closer than others. For the young woman, she'd heard the story of the soul-stars from her grandmother, who told a younger Bella that all living beings had the capability to become one. It was a magical story, one that filled the young girl with admiration and wonder. She wanted so desperately to become a star, to be able to light up the sky with her own soul. Sadly, it seemed not everyone thought her story was magical _or_ wonderful. Bella remembered vividly telling kids at school her grandmother's story, and they laughed at her. They thought she was weird, a freak, for believing in something like that. The admiration the young girl originally had disappeared after that.

Bella Czajkowski may have, at a young age, stopped believing in her grandmother's story, but that didn't mean she couldn't keep admiring the nighttime sky. She loved seeing the stars slowly dot the sky once the sun set. She loved feeling the chilly air and hearing the insects that only seemed to come out at dusk and nightfall. Bella was in love with the feelings and sounds. She'd become quite the night owl after that. Throughout high school and college, the young woman found herself staying up nearly all night to watch the sky and landscape before her. After she moved out and got her own apartment, she'd stay up late to observe the scenery. She was absolutely in _love_ with it. But when things started to go wrong, Bella's attention became drawn elsewhere. She didn't focus on the sky or the feeling it gave her, she focused on staying alive and the fear she felt. Fear and survival, it would seem, had a very big impact on Bella's life after things went bad. And so, after a little over a year of pushing on and terror, the young Romani woman found herself sitting on a tree branch, her back pressed against the trunk, as she looked up at the sky. Trees offered her some protection against the roamers, but it did leave her exposed to breathers. In Bella's eyes, as long as she didn't make herself _too_ noticeable, it didn't really matter.

Letting out an airy chuckle, Bella wrapped her arms around herself, hoping to keep herself warm in the chilly temperatures. It wasn't easy, but she'd do the best she could.

 **-The Hungry Earth-**

Bella Czajkowski remembered, very vividly, everything that occurred leading up to the apocalypse. She remembered news outlets talking about an unknown virus, and then to anyone who got infected to be quarantined. She remembered the infected being sent off to hospitals and other specialized areas, then people starting to panic. No one knew what the virus was or how it worked, only that it was aggressive and spread quickly. Bella remembered the first round of riots not long after the quarantining took place. It was bad, but not _really_ bad. A few stores and homes were looted. Some people got injured. But the cops got involved, and then everyone got separated. The government put in safe-zones to keep everyone herded and controlled. Communications were severed and people started to get anxious. The military were in charge of the safe-zones, and they abused their powers daily, especially after communications fell. Bella saw soldiers beat civilians, sometimes even kill or otherwise assault survivors in hopes of demonstrating their power. Everything about the safe-zones were toxic, and people were looking for a way to escape. The only downside would be having to survive in the open. Without medicine or food or protection.

In a lot of ways, no one really knew what to expect outside the safe-zones. No one knew what was out there, the soldiers refused to acknowledge anything outside the fences, and people were getting antsier with each passing day. In Bella's zone, people started whispering. They weren't appreciating the abuse they faced at the hands of the soldiers. They weren't looking forward to having to put _their_ lives in the hands of such powerhungry people. An uprising soon took place and countless people died. The soldiers eventually took off with a good amount of food and ammo, leaving any survivors of the uprising to die. Bella remembered that moment as if it happened yesterday. She saw the smoke from houses that had been burned down, the fences were broken and bent in odd angles. Things were scattered and Bella swore it looked like some kind of warzone. It was haunting. But not as haunting as the corpses coming back. Not all of those who were shot dead came back, only the ones who had sustained fatal injuries nowhere near the head. That added to the panic and uncertainty the survivors felt. People who weren't sure on what was happening were devoured and resurrected later on. Anyone who knew better than to stay and act confused knew to leave immediately. Things weren't going to get better just standing around. That was when Bella chose to leave. She wasn't about to get killed by some resurrected corpses. By some miracle, she'd managed to survive up until the safe-zone's collapse, that had to mean something. For Bella, there _had_ to be some kind of purpose behind that.

Living outside the safe-zone was definitely something Bella had to adjust to. While she wasn't particularly fond of the abuse she and the other survivors witness and endured in the zone, it offered her a home and protection. In all honesty, she wasn't sure what to expect. Were there more corpses? What about survivors? What would they be like? Would Bella be able to find resources in order to keep living? It was hard to say. The twenty six year old did manage to run into more corpses, she even managed to encounter other survivors – breathers, as Bella came to call them. Some breathers were good, others weren't. She had to learn the hard way, unfortunately. Either way, Bella learned the basics in how to keep herself alive. She came to understand that breathers cannot be trusted. Even if they came across as 100% good, or at least displaying good intentions, they could turn against someone at a moment's notice. Bella wasn't going to put her life into the hands of other people ever again. She promised herself that after the last group she came across. On top of that, the young woman learned that corpses could only be truly killed if they received a strong enough blow to the head. Whether it be from a gun, a knife, or some other form of blunt force trauma, it didn't matter. Just as long as it hit the head and damaged the brain. Bella couldn't say for sure why it was like that, but she understood that she just couldn't go around questioning everything all the time. In some ways, it was just better to go with it.

The last thing Bella came to know on the basics was that she had to keep her senses sharp. Any sound she heard or any fluttering movement out the corner of her eye could be trouble. Was it a corpse or a breather? Corpses could easily be found out – they snarled and groaned and stumbled around when walking. Breathers tended to carefully maneuver their way through obstacles. They watched and waited, which was even more dangerous. Bella wasn't taking any chances when it came to the living. She did her best to keep out of plain sight, though some days and nights she just couldn't bring herself to care. She was still learning, though, still trying to figure out a _really_ solid plan to help her live. The one she'd been using worked for about a year and a half, the amount of time that passed since the world fell. Improvement was always welcome, though. Bella thrived on it. She _loved_ it. It was like she had endless opportunities to figure out how to keep herself safe. That was what was important, right?

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 **(A/N):**

 **A mess of a first chapter, but hopefully the future updates will be better. Let me know what you guys think. Tell me what could use improvement, tell me what you think was good – constructive criticism is welcome! Also, I'm sorry for posting this late. School has been kicking my ass lately so I've been putting this off to try and catch up on homework and everything.**

 **Nothing in TWD belongs to me. All I own are my OCs and the subplots I put in. If you've got ideas for OCs or subplots, PM me or leave a review.**

 **See you guys on the flip side.**

 **Chi August**


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